The Titans are facing one of the NFC’s top teams in prime time on Thursday. They will be doing it without their No. 1 running back.
Derrick Henry came into Thursday listed as doubtful to play against the Cowboys, and was ultimately ruled out. Henry’s absence comes as the Titans are looking to snap a five-game losing streak that has seen their once-commanding AFC South lead dwindle to a tie with the Jaguars.
Henry leads all NFL running backs with 319 carries and 13 rushing touchdowns, and he ranks second with 1,429 rushing yards. He has also posted career-best numbers in the passing game with 32 receptions and 379 receiving yards. The 28-year-old, in his seventh NFL season, has surpassed 1,400 rushing yards for the third time in his career, the first since his 2020 Offensive Player of the Year season.
Why won’t Henry be playing in the second-to-last game of the season? Here’s what you need to know.
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Why isn’t Derrick Henry playing vs. Cowboys?
Henry has been nursing a hip injury that has seen him appear on the injury report in both Week 16 and 17, but until now he had not missed any time this season with the ailment. If the game had meaning for Tennessee, it’s possible he’d be suiting up.
#Titans Inactives #DALvsTEN pic.twitter.com/kWiDGmeXDh
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 29, 2022
But this game means nothing for the Titans. While the team certainly won’t say as much, a win would impact Tennessee’s place in the standings and playoff race as much as a loss.
Tennessee’s playoff hopes ride completely on its Week 18 game against the Jaguars. The Titans could beat the Cowboys and the Jaguars could lose to the Texans, or vice versa, and the division would still come down to Week 18 because of the tiebreaker that would be delivered by virtue of the win. Neither team can reach the playoffs via wild card, and neither team can advance higher than the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
MORE: Why Titans’ playoff chances rest solely on Week 18
The only thing potentially at stake is a winning record, with the Titans sitting at 7-8. The Titans and Jaguars can reach 9-8 by winning out.
Given the stakes of the Week 18 game and the lack of stakes in Week 17, there was no reason to test Henry’s hip in a meaningless game. Ryan Tannehill was placed on injured reserve earlier Thursday, so there will be even more pressure on Henry to be the weapon he can be against Jacksonville. He’ll be going up against a Jacksonville defense that ranks 12th in rushing defense DVOA.
The last time Henry played Jacksonville, he rushed 17 times for 121 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 34 yards, in a 36-22 Tennessee defeat.
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Titans RB depth chart
The Titans have leaned heavily on Henry in the running game, with no one else remotely close to matching his production.
Dontrell Hilliard is second on the team with 145 yards and fifth on the team with 22 carries. But he is on injured reserve with a neck injury and will not play Thursday.
That means rookie Hassan Haskins is all but certain to be the Titans’ feature back. Haskins has carried the ball 11 times for 50 yards and has caught all seven of his targets for 31 yards. The fourth-round pick out of Michigan rushed for 1,327 yards on 270 carries (4.9 yards per attempt) and 20 touchdowns as a senior at Michigan in 2021.
Haskins’ backup will be Julius Chestnut, who has appeared in only four games for the Titans in 2022. The rookie out of Sacred Heart has five carries for 13 yards, all coming in a 35-10 loss to the Eagles in Week 13.
